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Charges are expected to be made against a number of the 14 people arrested during the raid.

Gardaí say the gangs come into the country for short periods to carry out crime sprees before sealing and packing the stolen property into suitcases to be smuggled out and sold on the black market abroad.

The gangs also use specially adapted shopping bags to steal from department stores.

Last year, almost 8,000 mobile phones worth over €4m were stolen in Dublin's south centre city, particularly in pubs and nightclubs and were sold on for around €1m.